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The dark mist surrounding her became a tornado of black molecules and angry growls. It swirled around her body like a living blanket of darkness. She panted, on the brink of oblivion, as wind whipped past her face.
Her hallucination multiplied as a second body of black mist turned into a large, snarling white wolf. The wolf ripped into the leather-clad man. Razor sharp teeth ripped chunks of flesh from her attacker’s body, causing black blood to ooze from the wounds. He screamed before dissolving into nothing. A dark shadow racing along the ground.
The pain ceased, but Dannika found herself too weak to move. She lay on the ground, struggling to breathe.
Her eyes fluttered as the white wolf shifted into a tall, muscular man with dark hair. His iridescent blue eyes flickered as they focused on her wounds. He picked her up and cradled her against his chest. She imagined him as her angel, releasing her from the depths of her pain.
“Thank you,” she croaked.
He looked down at her as the beautiful blue pupils, turned black. “Don’t thank me, sweetheart. I didn’t save you. The worst is yet to come.”
CHAPTER2
Fire burned through Dannika’s blood like liquid lava. Her insides boiled, making her take deep, dry breaths in an attempt to ease the excruciating pain whipping her body. She groaned as darkness surrounded her, beckoning her with the promise of death and peace.
She assumed her savior would return her to the shelter, maybe a hospital, but the light in the distance was dimming as she tried to focus on the rough rock walls. Thick wooden beams supported the sides of the girded roof. Bits of rock debris crunched under the man’s boots.
“Who are you? Where are you taking me?” she asked between gasps. Despite the pain, goosebumps reformed on her skin.Had she exchanged one dark fate for another?
His powerful arms tightened around her, cradling her to him. “My name is Raine. I’m taking you to my home.”
She tried to focus on the spinning walls and the musty odor that surrounded them. “I need a hospital.”
“No human hospital can help you.” His tone was curt, but she detected something else. Regret?
“Human hospital, like there are inhuman ones.” She swallowed the bile rising in her throat. “That wasn’t a request. It was in order.”
Raine huffed. “It’s amusing that you think you’re in a position to order me to do anything. Most shadows would have killed you and put you out of your misery. I feel you deserve an explanation.”
Dannika was unsure she understood him correctly. “Killed me? He attacked me. I didn’t instigate it. Why would you kill me? Do you feel some retaliation is in order?”
She heaved as her stomach rolled.
“This isn’t retaliation, and the attack wasn’t your fault. We are almost at my home. I will explain everything.”
Dannika closed her eyes. The sound of dripping water echoed in her ears as if everything was louder. More distinct. She shuddered as her body went from hot to cold before blazing once more.
Raine’s boots scattered loose gravel as he navigated the tunnels. The smell of cold, stale air made her stomach squeeze. She struggled to remove herself from Raine’s arms, but he held her steadfast.
“I’m going to be sick,” she said.
He repositioned her in his arms, so her head rested against his neck. “You won’t be sick. The virus is burning away all vestiges of your human form, altering any food in your stomach. You feel nauseous, but you won’t throw up. At least, not yet.”
She blinked through the pain, focusing on his words. “The virus? Do I need to be quarantined?”
His body tensed as he took a side tunnel. “This is not a human virus, and it is not airborne. There is no danger of you infecting anyone. You will never leave these tunnels again.”
Pain ripped down her spine. She screamed and sank her fingernails into his shoulder.
His jaw tensed before he picked up his pace, running with her in his arms. The cool breeze caressed her face but did nothing to assuage the flames beneath her skin. A door creaked, then he was laying her down on a soft leather couch.
She wanted to get away from the excruciating agony, from the neatly decorated room with rock walls, from him, but her body wouldn’t cooperate. It contorted into a crushing spasm, locking her limbs into a macabre version of a broken branch before the pain eased, and her muscles relaxed.
Raine knelt beside the couch and placed a cool cloth on her forehead before using another to clean the dirt from her wounds. His touch was strangely gentle as he tended to her.
“Where is this place?” she asked, struggling to remain conscious.
“Our home is deep within an abandoned mine. We have most of your human comforts but are far enough away from Graydon County that we don’t get visitors.”
